There May Have Been Some Mission Drift

"Future Heap Owner" (aperiodic) 01/16/2019 at 01:15 • Filed to: the real clown shoe, Necessary car shopping without E90M3, car shopping

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I’m beginning to re-evaluate some of my search parameters. Namely, I think driving comfort on long trips should be more important than engaging-ness.

Since my biggest use case for this is road trips, I think comfort should be more important. My biggest complaint with my last vehicle (an ‘ 06 Corolla) was I always got some lower back pain on longer trips. I’m 6'1", with a bit more leg than you’d expect, and I always felt a bit cramped in the foot well. It got worse after I starting using a thin lumbar pillow to try to make up for the stock seat’s poor support in that department. On the 7, 8, 10 hour days, it could really flare up.

This is making me reconsider the Fit especially, but also wonder about Mazda3s. In my brief stint in a Fiata, I felt like I would also be unhappy in there for a long time, though   IDK how similar the seat & foot well are between the two.

Obviously the easy solution to this is to go upmarket a little, which I might do, but I want to know if anyone has suggestions for nice cars for bean poles like me (I got only 155 lbs spread over those six feet) to drive for a long day (for, like $5k).

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 01:19

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Our ‘08 Vibe is the same way (because you know, Corolla hatchback). After hour 6 of driving oh MAN am I wiggling around a lot in my seat.

NKato > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 01:25

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My CVPI came optioned with power lumbar. It is godly for long drives . However, the seats themselves are from the 90s. :p

facw > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 01:43

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If you want comfy seats, it’s time to look at the Volvos. Or for real fun, buy an old XK8, because what could go wrong with purchasing a 20 year old Jaguar.

Forrest > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 02:04

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I really like the seats in my 2018  Golf. Mid-2000s VW seats were too firm for me. But the new ones are really comfortable for me. And, it's pretty good for tall and short drivers alike.

CompactLuxuryFan > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 02:33

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Minis are supposed to be great for tall people but I dunno what you can get for 5k. As always, the B6/ B7 A4 seems like a solid contender.

Future Heap Owner > Forrest 01/16/2019 at 03:00

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Yeah, this is something people often say VW is good at. I did have a decent  time in the Golf R, but the Recaros didn’t have enough lumbar for me

Future Heap Owner > CompactLuxuryFan 01/16/2019 at 03:01

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German cars kinda scare me, TCO-wise

Future Heap Owner > facw 01/16/2019 at 03:01

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I am eyeing those bricks for sure

Khalbali > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 03:03

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I had to put my purchase on hold for a while but I was looking at s40's with the n/a engine and a stick, can be be found under 5k all day.

Tristan > CompactLuxuryFan 01/16/2019 at 03:48

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I have always hard that, so I went and sat in one. Not only was my head jammed into the ceiling, but the seats were AWFUL!

Captain of the Enterprise > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 06:04

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I bought my 2011 Camry for $5,000

I’m 6’3” and it’s confortable for me and so far really reliable. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 07:02

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Early 2000s Buick.

Your back will thank you, as will your wallet.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 08:15

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Probably an Accord, or rsx/tsx.

I was going to say e90 but 1 the gas mileage is crap, and 2 you’d be spending double that price point to get a nice one. 

GoodIdeaAtTheTime > facw 01/16/2019 at 08:24

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Volvo seats are best seats. It’s like they built the seat first, then just put a car around it. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/16/2019 at 10:00

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Yes as long as you don't mean a century

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 10:04

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2000-2002 E-class. Can be found with multicontou r seats. Can be had with AWD and a V8. If you spend 4k on an E320 4matic you’ll have another 1k to put into it (if it even needs it) and it’ll last you twice as long as you need it to. Under 3k and you're getting into rats, though deals can be found. I have a co-worker who dailies one, he's 6'5".

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/16/2019 at 10:12

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Pre 1995 Century ( with the 3300 ) was a great car. We owned a 1990 Century Custom with the 3300/4-speed combo. It was extremely comfortable, extremely reliable, had decent performance, and averaged mid 30s ( 38.9 mpg was our best on the hwy ).

I was thinking more Lesabre or Park Ave though.

Wild > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 10:16

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6-4, 15 0lbs, mostly legs . Found myself most comfortable in minivans. T he seating position offers great legroom and the height from seat base to pedals actually offers thigh support.

Otherwise full size AMERICAN cars like impala or taurus, but lower back support varies greatly. I suggest one of those peer rental sites and try a few options.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 10:17

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My brother in-laws old mk4 was great for road trips, very comfortable. Altho I’m about the same hieght and I could never quite get comfortable for aggressive driving. It was fine for cruising tho. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/16/2019 at 11:21

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That’s a completely different car though. Boxy century is way better than bubbly century.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/16/2019 at 12:01

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IMO boxy era cars are best anyway.

Future Heap Owner > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/16/2019 at 13:57

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Unfortunately those seem not to exist around here. I’ll keep my eye out, though.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/16/2019 at 15:12

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I never would've guessed! 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 16:01

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I would think you could find an early 2000s Buick pretty easily anywhere. They’re all over here in the rust belt.

Future Heap Owner > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 01/16/2019 at 18:13

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I just did a CL search for ‘Buick’  and came up with bupkis

Future Heap Owner > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/16/2019 at 18:15

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Is there any chance of getting that or something similar in wagon/hatchback form? Can go a few k over if necessary

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 18:59

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Yes! 210 wagons are awesome! You're in Portland, right?

Future Heap Owner > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/16/2019 at 19:01

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I sure am.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 19:25

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If you find a Benz you want to check out, let me know, I’ll go with if I’m free.

Just checked Craigslist, didn't find any 210 wagons I would bother to look at. Didn't focus on sedans though.

Future Heap Owner > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/16/2019 at 20:00

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Thanks for the offer! I’ll keep that in mind.

Future Heap Owner > Future Heap Owner 01/16/2019 at 22:05

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Oh, I am searching manual-only.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Future Heap Owner 01/17/2019 at 07:00

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Unless you find a swapped one, you won’t find a manual...

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 01/19/2019 at 01:44

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Just popped up. This one looks like it has solid potential! Even has heated multicontour seats.

https://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/ctd/d/portland-2000-mercedes-e320/6798367143.html

Future Heap Owner > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/20/2019 at 03:04

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Ok, this gives me hope. But before I go too far down this path, you have to answer one thing on the level for me: what am I gonna need to expect in terms of yearly operating cost for this thing?

This is a two-decade old, German, luxury vehicle. It’s so much more complicated than what I’m used to. It’s got some sorta pneumatic suspension I think? It has a computer-driven 4WD system. There’s so many more electrical circuits: power seats, heated mirrors, the usual amount of German electric complexification I presume. How often am I gonna have to deal with something? How much will being willing to diagnose and do wrench turning help me out?

Also, I’m still at least a month out, probably more, from purchasing this. The windfall that’s gonna give me the budget is on hold due to the government shutdown.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 01/20/2019 at 12:17

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I’ve done a belt, some pulleys, and a couple oil changes on my 01 in the last couple years. It could use control arm bushings and ball joints, 147k miles, big deal . Oh and I did a shift er because I spilled a drink on it. The shifter was the most expensive at around 400 my cost.

It has hydraulic rear suspension (wagon only) . But it’s pretty reliable. The only thing that goes wrong with that is the pressure accumulator spheres. They’ll make it ride like a dump truck. But they’re easy and many cars will never need them replaced.

4wd on this is 100% mechanical and quite robust. It does have traction control/ESP. but that’s your normal array of wheel speed sensors and ABS parts, all reliable . Sometimes front u-joints wear out. But that’s also rare. Last one of those I did was at 200k and that was a couple years ago. I’ve maybe done one other one, but can’t remember for sure.

The electrics in these are fine. Seat switches go bad sometimes. When that happens you’ll go to move the seat back and it will go forward instead.

As for the engine and trans, they’re solid if you stay on top of maintenance. Valve cover gaskets and rear main seals leak, but almost never bad enough to require topping off between services, or even to drip on the ground.

There are a few other various things that go bad from time to time, but nothing on these is hard or terribly expensive. Almost everything can be found aftermarket for decent prices and can be done in a few hours with basic hand tools, even for non-professionals.

They’re insanely comfortable and unstoppable in snow. They have a rear facing third row. Stock wheel size is 16" so tires are cheap and last a long time.

They take about 8 liters of synthetic oil and a $10-15 filter every 10k miles/once yearly (use a Mercedes one, seriously they’re way better than aftermarket) . Trans gets fluid and filter every 40k/4 years.

The only thing that might leave you stranded is the crankshaft position sensor. Maybe about $100? I don’t remember, check FCP Euro. They take about ten minutes to replace. I did mine as preventative maintenance.

The biggest thing is to make sure you don’t get one that’s a piece of crap to begin with, but that’s where I come in. And of course, if you need help, just ask. If it’s something that actually needs me to be there, it’s easy enough to get you into the shop on a weekend and do whatever fixing or figuring needs to be done. All I ask is that you respect my time and not bombard me with questions constantly . If you need help, I will make time as soon as I can, probably within 2-3 weeks. If you need help faster than that you can make an appointment though the shop (at shop rates) . This is the same treatment real- life friends get (actually they mostly don’t ask for help outside work and just pay shop rates; we make it worthwhile) Not trying to be rude, just realistic with faceless internet people 

I love these. I’m on my third (320 4matic wagon, 430 rwd, and now AMG). Multiple co-workers own them too. They’re a technician favorite and have been forever. But obviously you should check one out in person and make that decision for yourself.

Good luck with the shutdown. FYI, in case you didn’t know and need the help, lots of banks and credit unions are offering 0% loans for furloughed employees. Not saying you should use that for a car, but if bills are getting tight...

Future Heap Owner > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 01/20/2019 at 17:45

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Wow, that was a lot more detail than I was expecting. Thank you!

This all sounds manageable. I have a basic set of tools, am happy to get more (as long as they can fit in my shed storage space) , and I have a desire to wrench; I just can’t get too crazy because I don’t have a garage, only a driveway that I share (so I can’t do anything that would take longer than a weekend) . It sounds like that should be enough, though.

Thanks as well for the offer of assistance. That’s basically the opposite of rude! I’ll see if you’re available if I find a promising Mercedes after I start the search in earnest, and at the least I’ll get the PPI through your shop.

Fortunately, I’m not a government employee, so I’m not in that tough a situation. What’s going on is that my company is being sold to a Canadian company, and the proceeds from the stock I own is what’s gonna fund the car purchase. But because the purchasing company is from the foreign land of Canada,  the sale requires DOJ approval, so that’s paused as long as the government is closed.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 01/20/2019 at 18:43

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No problem! Happy to help. And always happy to get people interested in Mercedes.

Th e only “abnormal” told you would need if you don’t already have them: torx and e-torx.

Oh well that's not so bad! But still, hopefully it gets sorted out soon so everyone can get back to life as usual.